Milky Way Cake

Leafing through old recipe files and card boxes is one of my pastimes when I’m looking for a little cooking inspiration. And since my mother’s birthday was July 4th and that’s the menu I’m planning, I found myself once again flipping through her recipe box and found this gem. This is one of those recipes that you might read and say, “I remember that one,” In its day, a lot of cooks were passing this around, and it’s been fun to resurrect it from the memory box. Mind you, this is not a light little cake; this is a rich treat that will serve a lot of people, perfect for a gathering where a little decadent dessert is just the ticket.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Butter a bundt pan and dust it with cocoa powder.

In a medium saucepan, combine the candy bars and ½ cup of melted butter. Over low heat, stir the mixture until the candy is melted. Set aside to cool a bit.

Using a stand or hand mixer, cream together the sugar and ½ cup softened butter until well combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition until the mixture is completely smooth. Stir in the vanilla.

In a small bowl or mixing cup, combine the buttermilk and baking soda. With the mixer on low, add the buttermilk mixture and the flour alternately until well combined. Stir in the candy bar mixture.

Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan and bake for an hour and fifteen minutes. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick in the center and if it comes out mostly clean, the cake is done. If it isn’t quite done, continue to bake and test in five-minute increments until done. Remove from the oven and let the cake cool in the pan for an hour, then remove it from the pan and continue to cool on a wire rack.

Make the frosting:

Combine the sugar, evaporated milk and butter in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until it bubbles and thickens to the soft ball stage. (Test for this by dripping a small amount into a measuring cup of cold water, and the mixture will easily gather into a soft ball.)

Remove the mixture from the heat; add the chocolate pieces and marshmallow cream, stirring until completely melted. If the frosting seems too thick, add just a little bit of milk to bring it to a spreading consistency.

Sorry for the confusion–I don’t remember what the size was called, but the important thing is that you have about 15 ounces of milky way bars. The bars in the picture were 1 ounce each. Thanks for writing.